Starting this weekend, Disney's U.S. theme parks will ban children
under age 14 unless they're accompanied by someone the same age or
older.

The new policy, which takes effect March 23, will apply at
Disney World in Orlando and Disneyland and Disney California Adventure
in Anaheim. Since most youngsters under 14 don't carry government-issued
I.D.s, "the policy will be enforced as guests are entering the park,
(with) a visual screening for someone who appears to be younger than
14," said Disney spokeswoman Suzi Brown. If the staffer determines that
the guest is under 14, a parent or guardian will be notified and
required to escort the child in the park, she said.

The policy
was not triggered by "any kind of issue or incident," but was intended
to "provide a consistent age of admission and address a question we
occasionally get from parents," Brown added.

Families with annual
passes, some of whom routinely drop their children off at a park for
the day, were notified about the policy change in an e-mail last week, she said.